Creamy Nutty Oatmeal

When I haven't been to the market in a while, and we are out of fresh fruit, this is what I will typically make for breakfast. It is welcomed and enjoyed though, so nobody is the wiser that it is a fallback pantry meal.

Creamy Nutty Oatmeal
serves 2

1 cup thick rolled oats (not quick)
2 cups milk or soymilk (or 1 cup water and 1 cup milk)
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
2 tablespoons nut butter (peanut, almond, cashew, or your favorite)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 dried apricots, diced or an appropriate amount for 2 servings of other dried fruit
to garnish: freshly grated nutmeg and slices of fresh bananas or strawberries or other fruit (optional)

In a saucepan, bring milk with salt to a boil. Add the nut butter and stir to dissolve. Then add the maple syrup, oats and dried fuit. Simmer, stirring occassionally for about 10 to 20 minutes, until the oats are tender and it is the consistency desired. Serve with freshly grated nutmeg and optionally with slices of fresh fruit.

Peanut Butter Oat Bars

When I saw these bars on Tastespotting, I knew I would try them. Can't beat the combination of oats and peanut butter, unless you do what I did and add some chocolate! It wasn't a part of the recipe, but I highly recommend it. I added a 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips.

Also, I made them whole grain by using spelt and barley flour in place of all-purpose, and I sweetened them with less than a cup of maple sugar. They still turned out lovely and were terrific with coffee. Many thanks to Maria, of the Goddess's Kitchen for posting this Peanut Butter Oat Bar recipe.

Chestnut Pancakes (Gluten Free)

DH and I were in Orlando for the day recently and on our way out of the city, we stopped at a natural foods store, Chamberlain's. There we found a few items we have a hard time finding in other places in Florida, such as blue corn meal, maple sugar and other things. DH also put in our cart this bag of chestnut flour:

We have never used it before but have heard that it is delicious. So we decided to try it, even though it is quite pricey. We found online this recipe for gluten-free chestnut pancakes published by the manufacturer of the flour. It only uses a 1/3 cup of the chestnut flour, so if we keep using recipes like this, our small bag of flour should last a little while. We hope so, as we are loving it! The flour itself even smells wonderful! It adds a deep, sweet and nutty flavor. The pancakes are not as light and fluffy as more traditional pancakes, but they are packed with flavor and are very satisfying.

We topped this batch of chestnut pancakes with some caramelized bananas. We have found they are also good with apples or a bit of maple syrup.

Polenta with Gorgonzola and Almonds

Oh my, this is the most luscious polenta we have eaten in a while. We could have eaten the whole pot if not careful. It is so creamy and sweet, with a nice crunch from the almonds. Really it so richly flavored that we would even happily eat it as a dessert. We ate the polenta along with tofu baked in a honey-Dijon sauce and some green beans sauteed with garlic and extra virgin olive oil.

The recipe is very easy and quite quick, taking only minutes to prepare. The trick is that the recipe calls for quick cooking polenta, so instead of stirring the pot of polenta for a long time, it only takes 5 minutes of stirring. However, the polenta that I purchased was super quick cooking polenta, and only needed one minute of stirring. A gourmet meal in one minute!

The brand I used was de la Estancia Organic Polenta. It is not an instant product even though it only needs a minute to cook. The package says that it is not pre-cooked nor processed, and that the reason it is naturally quick-cooking is because it has a low starch content and a super fine grind. Since I used this polenta, I did need to alter the amount of liquid ingredients in the recipe. The recipe calls for 5 cups total of liquids, but I reduced that to 3 cups total per the package recommendation. I would read the package directions to be sure of the cooking time and liquid amounts required for the particular brand.

Polenta with Gorgonzola and Almonds
Gourmet Magazine April 2008

3 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups milk
salt (around 1 1/2 teaspoons total, divided)
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 ounces Gorgonzola dolce
1/3 cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped or sliced
freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring water, milk and 3/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a large heavy bottomed sauce pan. Sprinkle in the polenta and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 5 minutes (or per package directions).
2. Remove from heat and whisk in Parmesan and butter. Serve sprinkled with Gorgonzola, almonds and freshly ground black pepper.

Tempeh Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce

I found a new way to use the recipe for the Cornmeal-Crusted Tempeh that I posted previously. It actually works great as a vegetarian substitute for Giada de Laurentiis' recipe on the Food Network website for Pork Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce. I combined the ideas of the two recipes.

In Giada's recipe, she dips the cutlets into flour, eggs, and then breadcrumbs before frying. Instead of doing that, I dipped my cooked/marinated tempeh into buttermilk and then the cornmeal mixture from the tempeh recipe I posted from the Candle Cafe Cookbook. The coating stuck very well to the tempeh and became crispy once fried. I have no idea why I dipped them into buttermilk before the cornmeal mixture, it's not a part of either recipe, but it worked out nicely. It is optional.

The tempeh was delicious dipped into the Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce. I was supposed to add parsely to the sauce, but I didn't have any.

We ate the tempeh with roasted cauliflower, sweet potatoes and red onions along with some garlicky kale. The bowl of Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce is not visible in the above photo, but we found that everything tasted great dipped into it, not just the tempeh.

I suppose this can be the featured Meal of the Week #5. Here is the summary of the meal:

• Protein: Tempeh (the main source) plus whole grains and dairy
• Dairy: Mascarpone cheese and milks
• Whole grain: Cornmeal, Barley Flour and Potatoes
• Fruits/Vegetables: Kale, Cauliflower, Onion, Sweet Potatoes
• Fats/Sugars: Olive oil on all of the vegetables, grapeseed oil for frying tempeh, whole milk/cheese, a bit of maple syrup in the tempeh marinade

Agave Nectar or Miel de Maguey

When we were in Mexico in February, we picked up this jar of Miel de Maguey, which is agave nectar. We really wish we had bought more, as it is superb! It is so delicious, with a much deeper and more fruity agave flavor than any we have bought in the US, and I have tried every one I have seen. This jar we are savoring and are using it on dishes where we will be able to taste and appreciate the special flavor.

It was interesting to note while we were there that many Mexicans use agave nectar as a medicinal supplement rather than as a sweetener. When we were talking about how popular agave nectar is here in the States as sugar substitute, it was interesting to find out that in some parts of Mexico it is more commonly just eaten by the spoonful like a dose of medicine. So, I had to explain how to use it as a sweetener. That was a little surprising to me, since besides honey, agave is a sweetener native to Mexico. The nectar from the agave plant has been extracted and used for food since pre-Columbian times. Sugar cane was brought to Mexico in more recent history. Perhaps it was because I was talking to people in Yucatan, and agave is not a crop grown there. In Yucatan, bee honey is a big industry and has always been used there as a sweetener.

For those who are curious, here is a translation of the health claims written on this jar of agave nectar: "rich in fiber, dietetic oligosaccharide, aids digestion and promotes the development of intestinal flora. Natural source of protein, calcium, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants. More than a sweetener." Now in contrast, here are the health claims written on a some of the bottles of agave nectar that I have found in the US which are marketed to Americans: "a new natural sweetener... low glycemic index that is beneficial for many... diabetic friendly..."

I personally ignore health claims written on food products. I don't trust them. And there is good reason to be skeptical. Agave nectar sold in the US is not without controversy, as apparently some brands that say they're 100 percent pure, really aren't, the glycemic index differs greatly between brands, etc.

I use agave nectar because I like how it tastes, how it dissolves so easily into liquids and because it works well in many of my recipes. I use it sparingly when I do use it.

Crespella Part Deux

A few days ago I posted the recipe for Oven Crespella with Chocolate Sauce from Gourmet Magazine. Well, DH and I have been talking a lot about it over the last week, and we collaborated a new way to use the recipe. So, yesterday DH made this new version of Crespella as a celebratory cake to mark our one year anniversary of healthy eating. OK, so maybe eating a cake is not exactly most logical way to celebrate healthy eating. But, this cake has no refined ingredients, barely any sweetener, etc because of the modifications we made. Yes it is still high in calories and fat, but we are sharing it with friends, and we are not feeling guilty eating it.

We call the cake Crespella Cream Pie. To assemble, make two crespellas and some of Dorie Greenspan's Vanilla Pastry Cream and your favorite recipe for chocolate sauce, frosting or ganache. A note on the pastry cream recipe: I personally don't feel it needs so much sweetener. The whole milk and vanilla bean already give it a rich flavor, so I usually just use two tablespoons of maple sugar or agave nectar to sweeten it.

To assemble:

1. Place one of the crespellas on a cake plate.
2. Spread the pastry cream on top.
3. Arrange slices of banana over the pastry cream.
4. Spread some of the chocolate sauce onto the bottom of the other crespella and lay it on top of the bananas. That will help glue the bananas in place once it sets in the refrigerator.
5. Then either frost the cake with the rest of the chocolate sauce immediately or after the cake has set in the refrigerator. In Florida where I live, it is sometimes so humid that refrigerating first helps the cake keep its shape while frosting. Then store the cake in the refrigerator.

Either serve cold or at room temperature.

Meal of the Week #4

A crew of painters we met through friends has been painting the exterior of our house this week. They have actually done other work on our house in the past, so we've come to know them pretty well by now. I have been getting great practice with my Spanish, and I really cannot believe how much easier it comes to me these days. Anyway, DH and I decided to offer them a buffet style lunch, as they are finishing everything today. (They did work on our kitchen when it was being remodeled too, so the gesture was also in recognition and appreciation of how much we have been enjoying our kitchen). So, this is the Meal of the Week.

In approximately the order shown in the photo, from top to bottom:

• Roasted vegetables, salsa de chiltomate, refried black beans, chopped hard boiled eggs.
• Whole wheat empanadas filled with varying combinations of cheese, veggies and beans.
• Wedges of limes, pickled red onions, avocado and tomato salad
• Corn tortillas (under the cloth) and cantaloupe.

We also put out (after the photo was taken) some Mexican crema and some crumbled Mexican queso fresco. Also not shown was a pitcher of homemade Jamaica, which is iced tea made from the dried leaves of the hibiscus flower. Jamaica is a very common thing to drink in Mexico.

Every one of our guests commented about how healthy the meal was. Everyone ate everything on their plates, even after second and third helpings. From the smiles, easy going laughter and camaraderie at the table, we could tell they were all very happy. And then they all got straight back to work. So, it was a success.

Summary of Meal

Protein: Black beans, eggs, whole grains, cheeses
Dairy: Cheese, cream
Whole grains: Whole wheat and spelt empanadas, corn tortillas
Fruits/Vegetables: Cantaloupe, Limes, Avocado, Tomatoes, Onions, Asparagus, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Peppers
Fats/Sugars: Sweetener for Jamaica, cheeses, olive oil in roasted veggies

Oven Crespella with Chocolate Sauce

I guess it has been a while since I posted! Not to worry! I am returning with this tasty treat which was featured in the new issue of Gourmet (April 2008). DH made it, as he couldn't keep his eyes off the photo in the magazine. But, I think DH's turned out even nicer. He added his own touches. The original recipe calls for Nutella. Don't get me wrong. Nutella is awesome. It's just not something we keep in the house, especially since we did away with sugar. So, DH made his own chocolate sauce. Plus, he decided to soften some dried figs in some honey-butter for an extra special touch.

We had never had a crespella before, so we don't know how it is supposed to turn out. But we were intrigued to try it because, from the recipe, it seems basically to be a baked pancake. And, as you know, we Love pancakes. It was pretty simple. DH made the batter, poured it in a pan, and then after it baked, he flipped it out of the pan and onto a serving plate. The recipe didn't say to present it like that, but we think it turned out lovely.

The recipe didn't say to do this either, but look how pretty it turned out. DH spread his chocolate sauce and figs on the top, as if it were a cake. [Added April 14, 2008, see this posting for yet another version of Crespella: Crespella Cream Pie].

So, in the end, was it still a crespella? We say, who cares, it was incredibly delicious! The edges were crispy but inside it was soft with an almost custard-like layer. And it even tasted great cold after being stored in the refrigerator.

Oven Crespella with Nutella Sauce
adapted from Gourmet Magazine, April 2008

serves 4 to 6, active time 15 mins, 40 mins start to finish

3/4 cup flour (or a mixture of whole grain flours)
2 large eggs
1/4 cup granulated sugar (DH used a small amount of agave nectar as substitute)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups plus 3 tablespoons whole milk, divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Nutella, chocolate hazelnut spread (or chocolate sauce)
optional garnishes: confectioners sugar

accompaniment: chopped berries (figs or bananas are great with it too)

1. Heat an oven-proof skillet in the oven as it is preheating to 450 degrees.
2. Whisk to combine the flour, eggs, sweetener, vanilla, salt and 1 1/2 cups of the milk. Take skillet out of oven (careful it is hot). Place the butter in the skillet and return it to the oven. Leave it there for about a minute, so the butter gets golden. Remove the skillet from the oven.
3. Pour the batter into the skillet and then bake until puffed, set, and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the Nutella with the remaining milk until smooth. Thin with more milk if necessary. (Or make your favorite recipe for chocolate sauce).
5. Cool pancake in skillet on a rack for 5 minutes. (It will sink). Dust with confectioners sugar (if desired) and drizzle with the sauce. Serve with berries or fruit of choice.

Meal of the Week #3

Last week I shared breakfast for my meal of the week, so this week I am presenting a dinner. We actually ate this dinner last week, but I am feeling motivated to show this taco meal after last evening's episode of Top Chef. On the show the guest judge, Chef Rick Bayless, challenged everyone to make upscale tacos. Several of the contestants were not happy about it, one whined loudly saying that Mexican food is not gourmet. I'm not claiming that my tacos are upscale or gourmet, I'm just saying that tacos can be made with anything, so to me the challenge was really not a stretch.

We have been on an habanero kick since returning from Yucatan. Asparagus is not ordinarily eaten with habanero. In fact, my Mexican mother-in-law had the first asparagus of her life only a few weeks ago. But, that didn't stop us from pairing the two. A lot of the tacos that DH and I eat are not what the typical American or even a typical Yucatecan would eat as a taco. Tacos work very well with fusions of many different cuisines.

I roasted asparagus with white onion, garlic cloves and shitake mushrooms that had been lightly coated with olive oil and very simply seasoned with salt and pepper. In the same roasting pan, I added two slices of tofu that I liberally coated with some homemade salsa de chile ancho. It didn't take long to roast in a hot oven of about 400 degrees F. I stirred the vegetables and flipped the tofu after about 5 to 10 minutes, then they cooked only a short time more.

We made homemade corn tortillas and then served the roasted tofu and veggies with refried black beans, lime wedges and two different habanero salsas. We sprinkled everything with lime juice and each taco we made had a different combination of the ingredients.

Summary of Meal:

protein: black beans, tofu, and corn tortillas
whole grain: corn tortillas
dairy: none
fruits/vegetables: onion, mushroom, asparagus, chiles, limes
fats/sugars: minor use of olive oil

Tomatoes with Dijon Vinaigrette

I have to admit it. The only reason I am posting this recipe is because I want to share these photos I took of this tomato salad. The lighting was hitting the bowl so nicely, and I ended up taking scores of photos; so many that it was hard to chose which were my favorites!

So here are a few of the photos.

Orange is my favorite color, and I really love how many shades of orange I was able to capture and how nicely the orange contrasts with its complimentary color, blue.

So, here is my simple tomato salad.

Tomatoes with Dijon Vinaigrette
salad dressing recipe given to me by my French host sister, Patricia

glob of spicy mustard (Dijon or French Red Hot Pepper Moustarde au Piment d'Espelette)
1 big spoon of vinegar or lemon juice (any vinegar, but red wine or balsamic are very nice)
2 big spoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh chopped herbs, if desired

Stir together the mustard and vinegar or juice. Then whisk while slowly pouring in the oil to emulsify. Stir in fresh herbs, if desired. Salt and pepper to taste. Let the dressing rest for up to an hour before dressing your salad. After dressing the salad, serve immediately.

If too strong, add more oil. If too weak, add more vinegar.

Note: this dressing is great on many vegetables: shredded carrot salad, corn and pepper salad, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.

Spinach Catalan

I have been thinking about our trip to Barcelona that we took a few years ago, probably because of a book I have been reading set in the Mediterranean. So, here is a dish from the Catalan region of Spain. It's very simple and sweet, chewy but also crunchy. Other greens would also work in place of the spinach, like chard or even kale. For kale, I would recommend steaming it first for several minutes to soften it, instead of blanching it, before sauteing.

Spinach Catalan
adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison

fresh spinach or chard, stems trimmed or removed, leaves blanched,* then gently squeezed or spun to remove excess moisture
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 or 2 large garlic cloves, sliced in large slices
1/3 cup dark or golden raisins or currants
1/3 cup pine nuts
sea salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Coarsely chop the blanched greens, if desired.
2. Warm the oil with the garlic in a wide skillet over medium heat. When the garlic is golden, remove it.
3. Add the raisins and pine nuts to the oil and saute until the raisins are plump and the nuts are golden.
4. Add the greens and the cooked garlic (optional) and gently saute until they are heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.

*For Blanching: Plunge the greens into boiling water. They should be in the boiling water for less than one minute. Then they are removed from the boiling water and are placed in a colander to drain.

Whole Grain Bread Bonanza

DH had a chance this weekend to have a bread baking bonanza! Our house smelled like a bakery, the aromas even carried outside. He made four recipes. Anadama Bread, Whole Wheat Brioche (with chunks of dark chocolate) and Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Bread from Peter Reinhart's new book, Whole Grain Breads. He also made a batch of ciabatta using a recipe we learned at our class at Johnson & Wales. DH added roasted zucchini and sun-dried tomatoes to the ciabatta. I forgot to photograph the Anadama. It was the first loaf he made, and we ate it all weekend. Luckily, I did put some slices in the freezer to enjoy later.

DH used kefir for the soaker in the above Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin with Walnuts. He found that the 56 grams of flour called for in the final dough recipe was not enough. The bread is so soft and moist with a very deep flavor. Most of the raisins fell apart during the intense kneading required for the dough, so each bite carries the sweetness of the raisins. The walnuts and cinnamon really shine without overpowering the complexity of the slowly fermented whole wheat dough. DH could have formed the bread into visible cinnamon swirl, but decided against it. It turned out nicely, as each bite has an even balance of all of the flavors.

Above and below are close-ups of the Whole Wheat Brioche. It has a rich buttery flavor and consistency. He cut into chunks a small bar of high-end 85% dark chocolate and added it to the dough. What a decadent treat that was! That is how I ate chocolate when I was in France: a little bite of dark chocolate with a big bite of bread.

It's amazing how sweet, soft and flavorful even brioche can be using no white flour or sugar. DH used agave nectar in place of the sugar in these recipes. I can see why loaves of high quality breads cost so much money here in the States. If we were to sell the brioche, for example, we would have to charge a steep price just to break even for the cost of the ingredients, not to mention the time and energy required. But that is why it is art. I am happy and so very lucky that DH has developed such a passion for bread baking.

Above are some slices of the ciabatta which were eaten with some marinated orange tomatoes and slices of cheese. Simplicity can be divine.

Balanced Breakfasts Food Event

This month there is a food event for Weekend Breakfast Blogging that calls for Balanced Breakfast Meals. To be considered balanced, the guidelines encourage us to use more than one of these four food groups: fruits/vegetables, grains/cereals, dairy, vegetarian proteins.

I am providing four hearty protein-packed vegetarian breakfasts that include all four of the food groups. They are all very easy to make using leftovers, so why wait for the weekend to make these wholesome morning meals?

Number One: Scrambled Eggs with Spinach, Roasted Red Pepper, Mozzarella and Wholegrain Bread

Protein: Eggs, Whole grains in the bread, Cheese
Grains: Whole grain bread
Dairy: Cheese, Butter (on bread)
Fruits/Vegetables: Red Bell Pepper, Spinach

Number Two: Veggie Melt: Wholegrain Toast topped with Tomatoes, Spinach and Cheese

Protein: Cheese, Whole grains in bread
Grains: Whole Grain Bread
Dairy: Cheese
Fruits/Vegetables: Tomatoes, Spinach

Number Three: Enfrijolada topped with Fried Eggs, Onion, Cilantro, and Queso Fresco

To make enfrijoladas: Warm corn tortillas. Warm some refried black beans or pinto beans and thin them out with a bit of water. Dip the tortillas into the beans to coat them completely. Then fold them or roll them. Top them or fill them as shown or with whatever you have on hand. Some suggestions are salsa, chopped tomatoes, cream, jalapeno or serrano chile strips...

Protein: Black beans, eggs, corn in tortillas, cheese
Grains: Corn tortillas
Dairy: Cheese (queso fresco)
Fruits/Vegetables: Onion, Cilantro, Lime juice generously coating everything

Number Four: Moyete with Fried Egg and Grape Tomatoes

Note: Moyetes are slices of bread with refried beans and cheese and sometimes other toppings that are baked in the oven until the cheese melts and the beans warm. Sometimes they also have a tomato sauce or hot chiles, etc.

Protein: Black beans, egg, cheese
Grains: Whole grain bread
Dairy: Cheese
Fruits/Vegetables: Tomatoes, Serrano chiles

Strawberry Oatmeal Squares

Mike of Mike's Table is hosting the Strawberry Seduction food challenge. As a fellow Floridian, I can identify with his story of finding himself with six pounds of ripe Florida strawberries. I myself have not been able to resist buying whole flats of our lesser known winter/early spring fruit. So we have been happily eating strawberries practically every day since around Christmas. Usually we eat them with breakfast, sliced on top of oatmeal or pancakes or stirred into Kefir or yogurt. But we have also had them with many desserts, from tarts to tapioca pudding.

The recipe I share now is for Strawberry Oatmeal Squares, which makes a 9x13 sized yummy dessert or decadent breakfast. The added benefit is that it calls for a separate recipe of Strawberry Sauce. If you have a surplus of strawberries on hand, I recommend making a larger batch of the sauce to have plenty of leftovers to freeze. The leftover Strawberry Sauce can be used as a topping for waffles, pancakes, yogurt, ice cream, etc.

Strawberry Sauce

• 1 quart of strawberries
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot or cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• agave nectar or sweetener to taste (amount needed will depend on how sweet the berries are and how sweet you want the sauce)

1. Wash and core the berries. Blend in a blender or food processor half of the berries. Set aside. Slice the other half of the berries into big chunks. Set aside.

2. Place 1/4 cup of the puree in a small bowl and stir the arrowroot or cornstarch into it. Place the rest of the pureed strawberries in a saucepan and turn on the heat. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir. Once everything is well combined with no lumps, stir in the sliced strawberries. Sweeten to taste, a tablespoon at a time.

3. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat a bit, continue stirring, and it should thicken a bit within a minute. Remove from heat. Add the lemon juice and stir. Set aside to cool. What is left of the sauce after making the Oatmeal Squares can be used as a breakfast or ice cream topping.

Strawberry Oatmeal Squares

• Strawberry Sauce (see above recipe)
• 10 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup agave nectar or honey (if you prefer to use granulated sugar, you probably will want to increase amount; the original recipe calls for 1 cup of brown sugar, which I think is way too sweet)


• 2 cups oats or quick oats
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup other flour (all purpose or spelt or barley, etc)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Grease a 9x13 pan. Preheat oven to 375 F. Beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sweetener, beat well. Add the vanilla. Beat well.

2. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients (oats, flours, baking soda, salt). Add to the butter mixture, stirring until it resembles a coarse meal. It will be dry, but if it seems way too dry with a lot of the flour left with nothing to hold to, add a tablespoon of warm water.

3. Press half of the oatmeal mixture into the pan. Set the other half of the mixture aside. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until the crust looks puffed.

4. Spread some strawberry sauce evenly over the baked crust. You don't need to use all of the sauce, only what is needed to cover the crust. If you have a lot of fresh strawberries on hand, you could optionally also place some fresh sliced strawberries on top (as pictured above). Then cover the strawberries with the rest of the oatmeal mixture, gently pressing it in place.

5. Bake again, this time for about 15 to 17 minutes, until golden. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cut into squares.

Apple and Spelt Berry Salad

Happy St Patrick's Day! Not that there is anything very Irish about this salad. But, as shown above, it does happen to have a few green ingredients.

Maybe spelt berries are not the most common salad ingredient, but I would like to change that. They are chewy, nutty in flavor, and are a nutritious whole grain. Spelt has been around at least 9 thousand years and is an ancient relative of wheat. Speaking of wheat, you could also use wheat berries or kamut berries or the such for this recipe. Also, if I can't convince you to try spelt berries, but the rest of the salad looks interesting, you could add about a 1/2 cup of chopped nuts as a substitute.

Apple and Spelt Berry Salad
inspired by the deli at Native Sun Natural Foods in Jacksonville, FL

1 cup cooked spelt berries (cooking instructions below)
2 or 3 Granny Smith or green apples, cored and sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/4 to 1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries or raisins
1/3 cup plain yogurt or mayonnaise
2 tablespoons cream cheese, ricotta or small curd cottage cheese (to thicken it a bit)
2 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey or agave nectar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, to taste (apple pie spice is a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice)

1. To cook the spelt berries: boil 1 1/2 cups water, then add 1/2 cup uncooked spelt berries. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer for about an hour and a half, until tender. Drain any remaining liquid and cool before adding to the salad. (A tip: make a larger batch and put some in the freezer for a future salad).

2. Make the dressing by whisking together or blending until smooth the yogurt or mayo, the cream cheese, lime juice, and honey. Add some apple pie spice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.

3. In a large bowl toss the sliced apples, celery, spelt berries and dried cherries with the dressing until everything is coated. Serve immediately or chill first in the refrigerator and then serve.

Papatzules

Papatzul or Papadzul (I have seen both spellings) is a traditional Mayan dish that has been eaten in the Yucatan since before the arrival of the Europeans. The word itself means "food of the lords." They are commonly referred to is Yucatecan Enchiladas. Basically they are corn tortillas that have been dipped into a salsa de pepita (a sauce made from pumpkin seeds), that are then wrapped around chopped hardboiled eggs. Then they are placed on a plate and are topped with more of the salsa de pepita plus some chiltomate (a salsa made from tomatoes and chiles).

The photo above is an order of papatzules from a restaurant we visited in Merida. The manner the restaurant presented the dish is a bit different from what I have normally seen. Rather than having chopped hard boiled eggs on top of the dish as shown, usually the eggs are only inside the tortillas. Sometimes in addition to being topped with the two sauces, they are also lightly garnished with ground pumpkin seeds. I also have seen people garnish them with chopped cilantro, but I don't find it to be authentic, as there is no cilantro in the dish traditionally. Another thing that they are sometimes garnished with is green pumpkin seed oil, squeezed from toasted pepitas.

Chiltomate

3 or 4 ripe tomatoes
2 cups of water or broth
1 or 2 fresh sprigs of epazote or 1 tablespoon dried epazote leaves
1 habanero chile, stem and seeds removed
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons oil, separated
salt

Bring the first four ingredients plus some salt to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Take the tomatoes and habanero out of the broth and set aside. Remove the skin from the tomatoes and discard the skin. Reserve the broth (it will be needed for making the salsa de pepita).

Meanwhile, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a small skillet and saute the onion until soft. Set aside.

Place the cooked tomatoes and sauteed onion in a blender. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saucepan. Add the pureed tomato mixture and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more salt to taste.



Salsa de Pepita

• 1 cup of pepitas (green pumpkin seeds), toasted until they puff and turn lightly golden
• approximately 2 cups of broth flavored with epazote (or broth reserved from above chiltomate recipe)
• salt

1. Strain the broth reserved from chiltomate recipe.

2. Finely grind the toasted pepitas, using either using a nut grinder or a blender or food processor. Place them in a bowl. Add bit by bit the strained broth, until you have a paste. Place in the blender or food procoessor. Blend or pulse, slowly adding more of the broth, bit by bit, until you get a saucy consistency to your liking. Salt to taste. (You don't necessarily need to use all of the broth).

Papadzules or Papatzules

• 6 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and chopped
• up to 12 corn tortillas, heated until they are soft and pliable
• salsa de pepita, warm or at least room temperature (see above)
• chiltomate, warm (see above)

Assembly instructions: place the salsa de pepita in a wide, shallow bowl. Dip a warm tortilla in the bowl to coat it with the sauce. Place it on a plate. Put some of the egg down the center of the tortilla, then fold over two opposing edges of the tortilla on top of the egg. Place this bundle on another plate, seam side down. Repeat until you have formed as many as you would like for a serving.

Ladle more of the salsa de pepita over the top of the papatzules. Then ladle on some chiltomate. Serve.

Additional note: instead of using a blender, you could use the more traditional and rustic molcajete (mortar and pestle). See above photo.

Merida en Domingo (Merida on Sundays)

I realized I didn't really share any photos that show a glimpse of what Merida, Yucatan looks like. So here are some photos I took during Merida en Domingo (Merida on Sundays) which is a celebration every weekend. Above is a street vendor selling ice cream in one of squares that participates in the party, Parque Santa Lucia. Nearby was a band playing music to which quite a large group of couples were dancing. In this same park, as well in as in the zocalo (the main big park), there are booths stationed where people sell handicrafts. It was funny, but many streets are closed to cars for this celebration, but nearly everyone still walks on the narrow sidewalks.

Above are booths of handicrafts in the zocalo.

Another thing that happens on Sundays is that on the Pasejo Montejo, which is the grandest boulevard in Merida, the south-bound lane is closed to cars as an invitation to bicyclists and pedestrians. Unlike the streets downtown, people were actually taking advantage of the fact this street was closed for their benefit. Our hotel was on this street,and it was fun watching everyone enjoying themselves. There was a constant stream of people taking advantage of it. There were walkers, bicyclists, runners, even kids on tricycles and Big Wheels. This street closure for pedestrians has been a more recent addition to Merida en Domingo festivities, starting about six years ago. Pictured below.

On Sunday evenings downtown you will find musicians, called Trios, that you can pay to serenade your sweetheart. A Trio in Yucatan will be comprised of three musicians, each more than likely playing their choice of one of these instruments: guitar, requinto, maracas, or bass. They will play for you on the spot or you can hire them to surprise your sweetheart at her window in the middle of the night.

Below you can glimpse some of the variety of architecture and a long standing fixture in Merida, the horse-drawn carriages. They are a tourist attraction, not a standard mode of transportation.